A few months past his 36th birthday, Wade’s been a big factor for the Heat in this first-round playoff series with 18 points on 49.1 percent shooting off the bench in the first four games. He was especially good in Game 2, when he propelled Miami to its only victory so far by pouring in 28 points in 25 minutes.

“I’m always blown away by Dwyane Wade,” said Brown, a longtime assistant for San Antonio who coached against him in The Finals in 2013. “I look at Manu (Ginobili) the other night and all the ridiculous stuff, and you look at what Dwyane is doing here and you think, ‘When are they done? When are they done?’ They just seem never to go away.

“There’s a pace and poise that he plays with and his presence and his class. He just is somebody that I incredibly respect.”

Wade, who is finishing up his 15th season, has not said whether he plans to return for 2018-19.